June 17, 2010

• Three on Thursday

  It's Thursday (what I love most about vacation is that I don't really have to know what day it is, really) and what better time to think about the number Three than on the day that shares a digraph with it?  That's right, I said digraph.  Digraphs are not phonemes or morphemes.  I know, blah, blah, blah.  Anyway, back to Three on Thursday.  (Sounds lithpy, huh?)  It's the first (and maybe near-last) installment. 

  

  Don't be fooled because the Count is holding up one finger.  He's merely making a point while preparing to hold up his other hand, which, as you can see, is about to display all three digits.  

  Today, I am thinking about the top three things you think makes for a good villain.  Serious or just for fun.  I've mixed mine: the first two are just for fun.  The second is so serious, it'll make your socks shrink. (Sh is also a digraph.)

  1. Must wear dark.  You can't be taken seriously if you're decked out in something pastel or day-glo. I purposely didn't modify this with the word "clothes" because sometimes those spandex things can't be considered clothing.  This trend is so cool that even good guys do it.  Unlike bright blue and yellow, dark is pretty versatile cross-parties.  I guess you can say it's bi-partisan. 
  2. Must have a poker face.  This is one of those unchanging faces, the face that stays the same across most situations.  This is why the Joker can pull things off.  He's creepy because his emotions are largely what we would call inappropriate: consistent "joy" when most people would feel fear, remorse, or pain.  Villains who look scared or insecure don't pull it off as well (his clothes are arguable colorful, but I'd say they were still dark hued.)  I, for one, would make a really bad villain ("Oops! Are you ok?" isn't a good villain line.)  

  3. One of the best quotes from the movie, "The Usual Suspects" comes at the end, where Kevin Spacey (this is not his name in the movie) informs someone (I don't remember who) that, "the greatest trick the devil ever pulled is convincing the world that he doesn't exist."  The best villain of all has set the standard: the best villains are great at convincing you that they are not a villain at all.  (Psychpaths do this too.  And they are WAY creepy.)  We might look for the pitchfork, the red spiked tail, the poker face, and the dark cape.  The reality is that the devil himself can disguise himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14.)

  Don't be fooled. 

  Do you agree with the three?  What are your three villain musts?

  • 1:11 pm
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